Tom Adamson and the Texarkana Two – “Good King Wenceslas” Click this link.

“It’s still Christmas!” This was the common refrain of Jarod Pearson of St. Agnes’ parish in Cowan, Tennessee, each year after Dec. 25. It was something I admired in him, a gentle application of catholic tradition to a southern, Anglican spirituality. The small, white, clapboard Episcopal church was my home off the mountain for worship and internship between 2015 and 2017. And we made a formidable team in innovative, small town ministry – including an event he called “The It’s Still Christmas Party.” Acting on the fact that the Christmas season is not during Advent, but after the 25th, we held annual events sometime between Christmas and Epiphany that extended to people who were disenfranchised by the holidays, down on their luck, a dollar short. People who needed the Good News of Goodwill to them and Peace on their earth.

I came under Jarod’s tutelage “ready made” for many reasons. But one of the reasons was that for years beyond memory, December 26, St. Stephen’s Day, the 2nd day of Christmas, has been one of my favorite days.

“The Feast of Stephen” is the wintry night on which the Good King Wenceslas and his observant page made their legendary journey to aid a poor man gathering fire wood and invite him to dine in the warmth the of the royal lodgings. As a boy I identified with this story. Our family wasn’t as well off as our neighbors and extended family. For years we heated our house with a wood burning stove against the chill of winter. My Dad vigilantly keeping the fire burning through long nights. My siblings and I all helped cut, stack, and carry wood.

When we were invited to our Grandparents’ holiday gatherings or a party at the parish church of Sacred Heart, Lakeville, we’d find feasts – that truly felt like feasts. Events that stood apart from ordinary daily life and were truly relished.

In 2013, I was approached by legendary guitar tech/producer/ tour manager/ etc JP Parker (Wilco, The Redwalls, The Fray, and many more) to submit a track to charity Christmas album featuring the best artists in the Valpo original music scene, of which my little power trio “Tom Adamson and the Texarkana Two were a fixture for a few years. I could choose any Christmas themed song original or otherwise. After 5 minutes of thought, “Good King Wenceslas” come to my mind.

I knew it would stand out. The tune is catchy, but it’s not widely recorded. It appealed to my English roots, as the tune and lyrics come from 19th century England fireside singing with wassail in hand.

In elementary school orchestra, we played the tune in a Christmas concert, maybe 6th grade. But I didn’t know the words or story at that time.

I first sang it with Fr. David Ottsen when I was in high school in the mid 90s. His wife, daughter, and I along with my sister Sarah and brother Joe went caroling one snowy December night. We went to about 8-10 homes around South Bend’s Southside. One of the tunes we rotated was Good King Wenceslas. I kept the print out of the words in my Prayer Book for years.

The name Stephen in the lyric caught my attention because a few years before, when I was 15 and received the Sacrament of Confirmation, our sponsors encouraged us to choose a saint’s name to take. I chose Stephen, the first martyr. His story inspired me. He was brave and stood up to bullies. I wanted to be brave and stand up to the things and people that were troubling me. A song that helped people remember him while learning about a noble East European king of old was doubly inspiring.

JP’s charity album raised money to help orphan girls in Guatemala. I was glad to take part. The session in the old 7Spin studio (where the Tex Two did all their sessions, usually with the brothers Michaelis) is a happy memory.

Trathen on bass. Monroe on drums. Todd was our assistant that day. My wife and kids with the guys sang the caroling intro you hear in the track. I enjoyed going for an alt country groove, layering electric & acoustic guitar with mandolin. JP called me “a tall drink of water” when adjusting the vocal mic. The whole project was under a time crunch, so everything you hear there was a first/only take. The session was masterfully engineered in under an hour.

I hope to work with JP again someday. We’ve talked about it occasionally.

So, merry Christmas, enjoy the tune, rock out, because… “It’s Still Christmas!”

Or Boxing Day…:)